Michelle Carreto

HED 044
Professor Fimbres
November 15, 2020

Stress Relief

As a college student, we begin to experience a lot of new things like living alone, paying

bills, working, and going to school. College students have new responsibilities that they never

had before. With the pressures of these new variables being introduced as soon as graduation, we

become susceptible to stress. Stress is a powerful emotion that can hang over college students

and without proper care, it can impact their life negatively.

For our scenario, we will observe a college freshman named Katya. Katya is a college

freshman with good grades but suffers with test anxiety. Due to the pressures of maintaining her

3.0 grade average and keeping her scholarship, Katya suffered a panic attack during a study

session. If she does not pass her chemistry exam in two days, she will lose it all. Our objective is

to help Katya build up her self-esteem and help her build her sense of self-efficacy.

College is a lot to take in when you first walk in as a college freshman. You want to take

all the upper division classes as fast as you can, you want to experience all the clubs have to

offer, and you also want to take your first step in a working environment. When I first entered

college, I had a lot of energy in me and just took whatever classes sounded nice. I was ready for

the whole college experience with school events every night, parties, meeting new people, and

trying new things. Eventually I started to fall behind on my classes. Studying for college classes

are not the same as studying for high school classes. I began to neglect my work because I was

already behind and it felt impossible to catch up in my academics. That semester I was placed on

academic probation. First college semester and already placed on academic probation for having

poor grades and a low GPA. My self-esteem was shot, and I was afraid to walk into another
classroom or take another exam again. I started focusing not on clubs, but on my own work. I

had to build better habits like focusing more on studying and learning to pace myself so that I

will not feel overwhelmed with new material. I had to lower my workload for that semester. If I

was going to commit to my education to leave academic probation, I had to put 100 percent of

myself in schoolwork. I understand how taking it easy in the beginning sounds lazy, but I did it

for myself, I wanted to improve myself. In the end, I overcame my struggles and got out of

academic probation and was able to slowly take on the rest of my responsibilities as soon as I

was capable of finding a balance between my education and my hobbies.

For Katya, the approach I would take for her case will differ from my own. If I were in

Katya’s situation, I would seek professional help because panic attacks are not good for the mind

and body. To help Katya, I would recommend that she do her best to rid herself of any stressors.

We must take the time to ensure we are in a good positive environment where we can

comfortably study and feel relaxed in. If we stay in high pressure situations, we will end up just

feeling frustrated and on edge. Stress can negatively impact a college student and can lead to

mental disorders and anxiety from environmental stressors, (Donatelle PPT CH3) I believe Katya

needs to learn to have more faith in the work that she puts out. If she can pinpoint the stress in

her mind, for example her upcoming chemistry exam, and imagine a positive outcome, like

passing the exam, she can produce a better outcome, (Krispenz) When you begin to believe in

your work every time you study and prepare for an upcoming exam, you will continually

produce positive results. It is good to form realistic expectations when you enter a new semester.

You must always remember to do your very best and know that your best is good enough. Set

positive goals for yourself next semester and if you continue to work hard on your results

without trying to aim for perfection, you will achieve perfection. (Abdollahi) There are many
outlying factors that would attempt to make you lose your confidence, but you must stay strong

and believe in your abilities.

In conclusion, test anxiety and stress are a very common factor in college students. Everyone has

different lives and different responsibilities that can affect their job or school performance in a

negative way. We must take care of ourselves and ensure that we do everything we can to help

our mental and physical wellness. If we let our bodies and confidence go due to these

weaknesses that work against us, then we are only hurting ourselves. You must have confidence

in your abilities and performances to envision a positive outcome then achieve it.
 Works Cited Page

Abdollahi, A. (2018). Perfectionism and Test Anxiety among High-School Students: the

Moderating Role of Academic Hardiness. Current Psychology, 37(3), 632–639.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-016-9550-z

Donatelle, R. J. (2019). Health: The basics. Boston: Pearson.

Krispenz, A., Gort, C., Schültke, L., & Dickhäuser, O. (2019, August 05). How to Reduce Test

Anxiety and Academic Procrastination Through Inquiry of Cognitive Appraisals: A Pilot Study

Investigating the Role of Academic Self-Efficacy. Retrieved November 15, 2020, from

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01917/full